Posts Tagged ‘Ocular Rosacea’

Ocular Rosacea

November 4th, 2009

Ocular rosacea is one of the most common forms of rosacea. The term ocular relates to the eye, and so the primary symptoms of ocular rosacea do indeed all focus around the eyes of the person.

This is in contrast to the other manifestations of rosacea. For example, Papulopustular Rosacea relates to the presence of acne-like bumps, Phymatous Rosacea deals with the enlargement of the nose, and Erythema Rosacea (technically called Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea) points to the persistent redness as the main symptom of rosacea, whereas a person with ocular rosacea has to deal with eye-related symptoms.

The most common symptoms include persistent eye irritation, a feeling of dryness in the eyes, general soreness in the eyes, and redness in the eye and on the skin around the eye. Persons with ocular rosacea may also experience the false sensation that there is an object present in the eye, such as an eyelash.

Treatments for ocular rosacea center around alleviating the pain and discomfort felt in the eyes, and as such, include the following:

  • treating the eyes with warm compresses
  • using artifical tears to keep the eyes hydrated and from drying out
  • using eyedrops to keep the eyes hydrated and from drying out
  • washing the eye and areas around the eyes with water

In addition to these treatments above, which are specific to ocular rosacea, medical treatments such as antibiotics that are used across the board to treat the different types of rosacea (and acne as well), along with over the counter rosacea skin care products may be used to alleviate these symptoms. It’s also important for persons with ocular rosacea to have an awareness over what causes their symptoms to increase or manifest (see Rosacea Triggers) and to accordingly avoid such things as much as its reasonably possible to do so.

In addition to the symptoms described above, persons with ocular rosacea typically experience some level of overall facial redness and discomfort that virtually all persons with rosacea have, no matter what subtype of rosacea has been identified.

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Types of Rosacea

October 25th, 2009

The term rosacea is used to describe a set of symptoms related to facial redness and red bumps that are often misinterpreted as acne.

(Note: Acne and rosacea are two different conditions, and although related, are not the same. For more information, see Rosacea and Acne.)

Actually, the term includes different types, or variants, of rosacea. In this article we’ll take a look at these different types of rosacea.

1. Ocular Rosacea. The term ocular refers to the eyes. Ocular rosacea is a subset of rosacea where the symptoms are most present in the eyes (and the eyelids) of the patient. This typically means the person experiences persistent irritation in the eyes, along with dryness and redness. Additionally, this may also include itching and burning sensations as well.

2. Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea. The first word here is a mouthful but take a closer look and you may notice that it includes a more common term often familiar to those with rosacea: erythema. Erythema describes the condition of permanent (or near permanent) redness of the skin. For patients with this type of rosacea, the prominent symptom is facial redness, which is overall one of the most common symptoms of rosacea. Sometimes Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea is also marked with visible blood vessels on the surface.

3. Phymatous Rosacea. This type of rosacea is one of the more well known even though people aren’t aware of the actual name for it. It is most often associated with what’s known as “rhinophyma”, or, more simply, a large, bulb-shaped and red nose. Unlike most types of rosacea, phymatous rosacea is largely more common in men than it is in women. While it’s cause remains unknown, the theory that it’s related to high alcohol consumption is a myth. This is one of the more rare types of rosacea.

4. Papulopustular Rosacea. This symptoms of this type of rosacea is often incorrectly confused as bad acne. This is because this type of rosacea leads to the formation of what’s called papules and pustules on the face – red bumps, including red bumps containing pus.

The different types of rosacea that have been identified point to the suggestion that there may be different causes and conditions that lead to their development. It is not yet been positively identified or agreed upon as to what causes rosacea to develop in a person, although a number of theories abound, including genetics and a history of rosacea in the family, the presence of certain peptides, certain intestinal bacteria types, and the high presence demodex mites.

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